Behind-the-Scenes: Brazil's Circus of the Alley

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They juggle hats, balls, clubs while riding unicycles, and even fire—such as the performer pictured above. (See more Brazil pictures.)

For the Circo do Beco—or Circus of the Alley—a small city square in São Paulo's Vila Madalena neighborhood is transformed into a makeshift performance space, where street jugglers and professionals alike come to show off their skills, learn new tricks, and let off some steam, according to Reuters.

On April 8, Reuters photographer Nacho Doce spent an evening with the performers, capturing a tradition that dates back more than ten years.

—Kate Andries

Photograph by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Round and Round

Most Circus of the Alley participants are street jugglers and circus performers, such as the juggler shown above performing with a hula hoop. (See blog post: "Saying Hello to São Paulo.")

Some members of São Paulo's own circus clear their Monday evening schedules to come down to the graffiti-covered square, according to Doce.

Photograph by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Going for a Spin

In addition to being the prime destination for learning new tricks—above, a man spins a ball on his fingertip—Circo do Beco fosters an extensive juggling community with members from all over the world.

Photographer Nacho Doce wrote in a blog post that many of the circus participants and attendees had "found in São Paulo's alternative Circus of the Alley a way to meet new friends and, through conversations and learning experiences based on juggling, new paths for their lives."

Everyone is welcome to participate—amateurs and professionals alike—and the show is free.

Photograph by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Ring of Fire

A man at the Circo do Beco performs with flaming torches, some of the many items juggled at the Monday evening gathering.

Clubs, rings, and balls are the most common juggling props, but flaming hoops or torches make for a more eye-catching and dangerous display. (Take a holidays and festivals quiz.)

Photograph by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Tricks of the Trade

The Circo do Beco is often a training ground for new jugglers looking to improve their craft. It's common to stumble across one juggler teaching another a new skill, like this pair of jugglers discussing a hat trick above.

Photographer Doce wrote that he encountered one man who had learned to juggle at the Circo do Beco and became so skilled that he began performing with a professional circus just seven years later—though he still makes time each week to visit the place that gave him his start.

Photograph by Nacho Doce, Reuters

Child's Play

A juggler's son plays with a juggling club in the Circus of the Alley.

Far from an adults-only experience, the Circo do Beco welcomes people of all ages in the hope that they are inspired to take up the art of juggling.

"I noticed children with their mothers learning to juggle, and I couldn't help smiling behind my camera," Doce wrote.